ECT S4/5 versus Drive mileage

As a Tacoma owner who is not all that happy with how the automatic transmission functions on my 2018 Tacoma (13,000+ miles). I have messed around quite a bit with figuring out how to best use this transmission. (There really is no best way. It is a bit erratic in its shifting no matter what. However, I appear to get the best performance in ECT and S4/5. This is after having the latest TSB performed.)

Now about the mileage. There is minimal change in mileage regardless of how I use the transmission. In my daily round trip drive of 90+ miles I get about 21-22 mpg no matter what. This drive includes a combination of a gravel road (40 mph), a two lane highway (55-60 mph), a four lane highway (70 mph) and city driving (25-45 mph). Part of the drive is quite hilly. I drive the speed limits but have a rather heavy foot when accelerating to the posted limit.

In other words. I might not like the transmission in this truck, but I certainly cannot complain about the mileage I get.

 

You get 21-22 mpg while in S mode (4/5) ECT on all the time? Also what octane do you run? Are you stock? Thanks.

 

That 55-60 mph stretch you drive would be the biggest contributor to your MPG total. ECT would have virtually no affect one way or the other as you'd be cursing in 5th gear and as long as you hold a steady foot MPGs would be good.

 

I've done the same. I find just ECT PWR in D is best and settled on that. It holds the truck in 4th until 50 MPH at the proper load so using S4/S5 is no different on the backroads. It will use the overdrives much better on the highway. The way the truck will be more efficient in just D is if the trip is flat and it can pull the overdrives early, if its hilly this goes out the window as it has to shift down anyway sometimes two gears. There is so much less shifting, and wear and tear on the transmission in ECT PWR mode, plus the better response as the engine is not lugging so hard trying to pull an overdrive. My 35 mile commute in to work is slightly downhill on average, 20.5 to 21.5 mpg. Back home 20 to 20.5mpg. 6 hr trip to upstate NY, mostly 70-75mph highway, 30 miles of mountain backroad, a few miles in 4wd in a snow squall, 20.3 mpg. My wife's 3.5L Pilot did 19.2 on the same trip. Winter gas, summer was about 1 mpg better.

 

1) Yep. 2) 87 octane..no ethanol. 3) Stock.

 

no ethanol is a huge contributor to better mpgs.

 

i run with ECT on all the time. i am on maui so max speed is 55/60, wondering when does your truck shift into 6th gear with ECT on.

 

OP do a test... leave it with pure gas and 55 mph top speed but just use Drive and no ect and S mode. Do it for a week and report back.

 

Ok, I just want to know how you managed to put that much mileage on a truck from the future...

 

i would go out of my mind after 1 day in that configuration. not talking about 55 mph.

 

I average 19-21 mpg in our truck running 87 octane with ECT on all the time because the truck is an unpredictable turd with it off. It has a 2" lift and 275/70's on it. Most of the driving I do is 50-65mph, lots of 2 lane highway and also I5/405 cruising through Seattle but traffic is so bad you cant go faster than 50-60 even if you wanted to. I dont sit in a ton of stop and go and I dont warm the truck up for extended periods of time. Letting the truck sit and idle KILLS mpg on these. Truck just hit 33K miles and 23K have been with lift and tires. Lift and tires took 1-2mpg off the truck as far as I can tell.

 

Depends on the load, if flat you should see it at that speed, if on a grade higher. The truck is happy cruising at around 2K RPM I was in Maui and Oahu last year, the Taco is the official vehicle of the Hawaian Islands!

 

Fixed it.

 

Run ect most all of the time. If I’m doing mountain driving or freeway driving I’ll lock out certain gears. If under 72 I’ll lock out 6th and 5th will be right near 2000 rpm. I’ve yet to see a good use of 6th. It can’t hold it worth a shit. That would be my biggest complaint with the transmission. Owned the truck since October and have 3500 miles and was finally able to get the truck to hold 6th for a couple miles. Huge flat stretch in a valley that I was going 70 and it actually held. Zero hills or terrain change, the slightest hill or wind gust will make it downshift out of 6th.